


Until you learn

by Sashaya



Series: Between the lyrics [2]
Category: Iron Man - All Media Types, The Avengers (2012)
Genre: F/M, Fluff, Romance, lots of fluff
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-02-11
Updated: 2013-02-11
Packaged: 2017-11-28 23:03:43
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 799
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/679869
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Sashaya/pseuds/Sashaya
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Pepper comes home to an empty bed, genius boyfriend asleep in the lab and a song stuck in her head.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Until you learn

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks to Nehelena for being her wonderful self!

The bed was empty and Pepper sighed, seeing as it hadn’t been used for quite some time. Really. She couldn’t leave him for more than few days. She turned on her heels, making her way towards the lab, when Tony had to hide himself for the past seven days. 

“Lab” she told Jarvis, when she stepped inside the elevator. 

“Welcome home, Ms. Potts” JARVIS welcomed her and Pepper couldn’t help but smile.

“Good to be home, JARVIS” she said, feeling warm. 

She leaned on the steeled wall and hummed a song Happy had on repeat the whole way to the Stark Tower. It was both lovely and heart-breaking melody that somehow drilled inside her mind. 

_Let me love you_  
 _And I will love you_  
 _Until you learn to love yourself_

The elevator’s door opened and Pepper walked towards the lab. Surprisingly, it wasn’t closed and there wasn’t any deafening music. She frowned, when she stepped inside. 

_Let me love you_  
 _I know your trouble_  
 _Don't be afraid, oh, I can help_

Pepper looked around, the frown on her face deepened. The mess was… astronomical. She didn’t even know that Tony could create such chaos. She should have known better. 

_Let me love you_  
 _A heart of numbness gets brought to life_  
 _I'll take you there_

She opened her mouth to call Tony’s name, when she spotted him. Tony was half-lying on the desk, half-sitting on the chair. He was sleeping and looked like he really needed it. Pepper leaned on the wall, smiling. He looked adorable. 

She let herself ogle him for a minute but then decided that it wasn’t the best place or position to be sleeping. She walked towards him. The click-clack sound of her heels must have woken him up because Tony stirred and opened one of his eyes. When he saw Pepper, he smiled.

_I just wanna be the one to remind what it is to smile  
I would like to show you what true love can really do_

Pepper smiled back and leaned down to kiss his cheek.

“Hi” Tony croaked, his voice thick with sleep. 

“Hello” she said back. “Stand up and come with me”

Tony mumbled something incoherent and straightened in the chair. He rubbed his eyes and ran a hand through messy, dirty hair. To Pepper’s horror and surprise, he reached out for his screwdriver and went on tinkering like he hadn’t collapsed from exhaustion before. And really, how could she expect something else?

“Tony” Pepper called his name and waited patiently for him to turn and look at her. That took less time than normally. What she saw wasn’t something she was fond of. 

_I can see the pain behind your eyes  
It's been there for quite a while_

She didn’t want to know what had happened in her absence to put such haunted look in his eyes. Pepper sighed and put her arms around his neck.

“Sleep with me?” she asked in a soft voice. “I missed you”

The haunted look became slightly dimmed as Tony leaned up and kissed her gently. It was one of the rare kisses they shared – slow and soft and without lust behind it. The kiss said what Tony himself couldn’t – I missed you too. Pepper was an expert in reading him. 

Her hands slid down from his neck to his arms than wrists to finally intertwined their fingers. His hands were rough and calloused. Exactly how she remembered. Tony was looking at their joined hands intensely, like his brain still hadn’t caught up and Pepper smiled. 

“Come” she said and tugged, pulling Tony from his chair. “We’re going to sleep”

“Hmmm” Tony made a sound from the back of his throat. “We’ll cuddle?”

“Sure” she answered with a laugh. “I’ll even let you be the big spoon” 

Tony nodded, approving of the course of action and followed her on his own. They stumbled inside the lift, which JARVIS had already set to ride up straight to  
Tony’s floor, and she spun around to face him. Tony was looking at her like she was the most precious thing in the world and Pepper blushed. Tony pulled her close and nuzzled her neck, scratching her sensitive skin with his beard. 

“You should take better care of yourself” Pepper said softly, running her fingers through his hair. Tony mumbled something in respond and tightened his hold. Pepper let out a gasp and a laugh and she could feel Tony’s smile against her collarbone. 

She started humming the song from before as she felt Tony slowly dozing off. She kept smiling as he murmured almost a silent I love you. 

“I love you, Tony” she replied, kissing the top of his head. 

_Let me love you_  
 _And I will love you_  
 _Until you learn to love yourself…_

**Author's Note:**

> The song used is _Let me love you (until you learn to love yourself)_ but Glee version – it’s sweeter.


End file.
